Planning a Wipeout

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Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party said on Tuesday it would ban opposition parties if it wins the upcoming parliamentary election, a vow that sparked renewed concerns over authoritarian backsliding in the Caucasian nation, Politico reported.

The move would primarily target the United National Movement (UNM), the largest opposition force in the country. In power for over a decade, Georgian Dream has vilified the UNM and its leader, former president Mikheil Saakashvili.

On Tuesday, Georgian Dream blamed the UNM for a 2008 war against Russia that it said cost Georgia its sovereignty over breakaway territories in the north of the country. The ruling party claimed without evidence that the opposition aimed at escalating tensions with Moscow, creating “a second front” amid the Russia-Ukraine war.

Georgian Dream stated that a constitutional majority of 113 out of 150 seats was needed to pass the ban. It would concern a cluster of opposition forces dubbed “collective UNM” that also includes other parties and even incumbent President Salome Zourabichvili, Civil Georgia explained.

“We must show to these forces that getting rid of the collective UNM from the political system is the decision of the large, constitutional majority of Georgian people,” Georgian Dream’s statement read.

The ruling party also vowed to use a constitutional majority to “peacefully restore” Georgia’s territorial integrity, but the statement’s lack of details on the matter alarmed opponents over potential concessions to Moscow.

Another motive would be to enforce a Russian-style law cracking down on LGBTQ rights to “strengthen family values and the protection of minors at the highest, constitutional level.”

Ahead of the parliamentary election on Oct. 26, six opposition parties agreed to work together to eject Georgian Dream from power. While opinion polls predict the ruling party will receive the most votes, it would not likely win enough for an absolute majority or to be able to pass constitutional amendments, the Kyiv Independent reported.